The Great Lakes Women’s Business Council recently awarded MillerKnoll the Excellence in Supplier Diversity – Best in Class award for 2022. These awards honor corporate members that have successfully integrated supplier diversity into their business practices and have excelled in all categories surveyed, including WBE spend, WBE capacity building, and advocacy of women-owned businesses.

“Our partnerships with WBEs and other diverse-owned businesses are truly key to our business operations and amplify the positive impact we can make on other businesses and in the communities around us,” said Adriene Bruce, Senior Manager, Supplier Diversity at MillerKnoll. “It’s truly an honor to work alongside all the diverse partners in our supply chain and dealer distribution network. Their creativity and perspectives help us grow and be better.”

Bruce was also recently recognized as a Top 25 Diversity Change Leader by Diversity Plus Magazine. This honor recognizes those who have supported their Supplier Inclusion and DEI strategies with cultural buy-in from executive leadership and secured that buy-in through a communications process demonstrating the value of diverse suppliers in both social and fiscal terms. The magazine sought out leaders who were innovative in identifying diverse suppliers in their communities, making connections with them, and supporting them after the identification process through mentoring and training opportunities. Read more about the award here.

On a day-to-day basis, Bruce and her team work to create and redeploy a robust strategy for diverse supplier inclusion for MillerKnoll and ignite engagement to improve Supplier Diversity spending by advocating on behalf of Diverse Business Owners to increase equity within the Supply Chain and the North American Dealer partner network.

“Doing business with suppliers who represent the full spectrum of diversity strengthens MillerKnoll’s ability to deliver unique products and services, increases innovation, and supports objectives that matter to our customers," said Cheryl Kern, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at MillerKnoll. “I am so proud and inspired by the work Adriene and the rest of the team are doing and am excited for what’s to come.”

More on the Best-in-Class Award

The Best-in-Class award is the highest ranking that companies from Michigan and Indiana can receive in the supplier diversity category. This is the first time the company has received the award since Herman Miller and Knoll combined as MillerKnoll in July 2021. Previously, Herman Miller has maintained this status since it was first awarded the category in 2019.

MillerKnoll’s Commitment to Supplier Diversity

MillerKnoll is committed to working with and creating opportunities for diverse and underrepresented businesses (Black-, Asian Indian-, Asian Pacific-, Hispanic-, and Native-American, Women-, Disabled-, Veteran-, Service-Disabled Veteran-, HUBZone-, and Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, or Transgender-owned) to deliver innovative, value-added solutions for their business and customers.

Learn more about MillerKnoll’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on MillerKnoll.com. For more on supplier diversity, click here.